This is not a video of cute and cuddly critters. It is a video documentation of the life and death struggle between a wasp and a spider - a Tarantula Hawk versus a Tarantula.
Dramatic and emotional to watch, this footage has made a contribution to the scientific knowledge of the behavior of both species.
Read what one professional biologist has said about this video:
“What a fantastic video! It is the best I have ever seen because it really highlights the unusual attack behavior of the wasp”. Justin Schmidt (Author of The Sting of the Wild)
Nobody going to talk about the ant ! The ant is like whatever’s going on is not my problem I got to get this back to the queen 😂😂
I thought I was the only one thinking that lol.
Was about to comment. Casually walking past with its leaf not giving any f..s
Lmfao
😂😂😂😂 love the ant just moving his load. Effemall. Moaning about strangers don't pay the rent
Lol they know better than to mess with the ant. He's got backup.
Imagine being awake, but paralyzed, watching yourself get buried, and experiencing yourself getting eaten alive.. 🧐
hehe, not much of a difference to the todays working class. I definitely can find myself in your comment
@@Hirschi74 Yes, your life is just as painful and difficult as any tarantula especially today with mandated 40 hour work weeks and 2 day weekends. How horrible life is for industrial society humans.
@@songcramp66 yes exactly trapped with no way out😍
I much rather have a quick death 😩
@@Hirschi74 and yet here you are crying about it through a screen as you sit comfortable in your air conditioned dwelling and clothes on your back
I like how the lil ant was minding his business at 2:25 lol he wants no part of thier lil situation lol 😂
🤣
Actually, you can see him early in the video walking towards the shrub so that was a continuation of his march on, just minding his business doing his work.
@@artistnyc123 kinda reminds me of humanity.
shes just takin her time so she gets it back to mama
She
No matter who or what you are in the animal kingdom; we all collectively say, "Fuck wasps."
All my homies hate wasps.
Even other wasps.
And wasps agree to all other animals
How strange that its method of attack is to lie on its back, exposing its belly and crawling under the spider. Seems like the very worst way to approach such a huge spider.
apparently, tarantulas aren't well suited to bitting from underneath while they bite, its more of in front or backing up to sting them but they wouldn't do so well directly above them due to the way their fangs are positioned crazy as it sounds.
@@captainrorz718 Apparently, tarantulas are also retarded and deserve to die a slow parasitized death, too.
Why don’t the spider grab the wasp and try to bite back he just let the wasp sting him thats crazy
Exposing your belly is more of a downside for us large mammals who don't have any hard carapace or ribcage protecting all of our vital organs hidden behind that thin layer of soft belly tissue. Not so much for insects. This arachnid though seems to have some form of very small weak spot hidden in between its segments.
ever seen a BJJ practitioner?
I’ve always wondered why the tarantulas just threaten posture or raise up over the wasp but never an attempted attack…. I mean if you’re gonna die anyways might as go out fang’n’ lol
I don't understand that either. When it first crawled under him i was like bro, just fucking bite his head. You can do this.
I haven't either but I'm all for them 🇺🇸
They've heard the stories and freeze up
I think its the hormones the TH wasp emits. I think it relaxes the tarantula
It doesn’t know it’s in a do-or-die situation. Animals don’t have all the information we have, and very few animals actually want to go all-out attack mode if they don’t feel they have to since it puts them at greater risk.
that tarantula is getting the ultimate sci-fi horror movie experience
I’ve actually seen this in my backyard on three separate occasions. My wife is a tarantula lover so I was forced to intervene. I’ve successfully brought the tarantulas back from a state of paralysis. Takes about 6 months for them to start really moving again.
Why didn't she intervene herself? If she is the tarantula lover
@@Simon-beastbecause she is full of shit.
What did you do to the Hawk?
@@JoseBYOB - so the story about the first one is pretty crazy. Without killing the wasp, I picked up the paralyzed tarantula and brought inside. Started reading online and got up to speed real quick on what just happened. I then had the idea to see if we could bring it back to life so had it sitting in container in our living room. This next part is 100% not made up: 4 hours later, my wife is letting the dogs outside through the back door for about 5 seconds and that thing darts inside the house. Mayhem ensued….. it took it about 10 seconds to find the tarantula. I killed it with a shoe eventually. That was maybe the craziest part. It must have have some type of scent or something after getting stung. So I kill these things every chance I get. I don’t believe in killing animals, just because, but I make an excuse for these wasps.
Bro, those wasps for sure are crucial to the environment, think about it, mother nature has a purpose for every creature and certainly they control the population of tarantulas. If tarantulas don't get eaten by these predators then other little animals will struggle to survive as there will be too many tarantulas. Just my opinion, thank you for sharing your experience!
The tarantula hawk is by far my favorite insect. I saw a smaller one in my back yard inspecting every single web that it found. No matter how big the web was, she fearlessly entered each one looking for a spider. That's some bad ass stuff right there IMO.
Yeah those are the stuff of nightmares, cool as hell but scary little aliens they are.
bro i would die
Cazadors! This is not a correction, this is a cry of terror!
Tarantula hawks are lame
They grow to be the size of a freakin' index finger. They look so COOL, though.
This was a very interesting and enjoyable video watching how other species survive. I have the utmost respect for ants though. Which is why I never mess with ant piles. My respect is for their discipline and complete tunnel vision. They don't care what's going on around them. They have a task, and they stay focused on it.
I seen that ant caring food or something to.
Yeah, except when I saw an invasive ant species dragging a baby kangaroo rat to surely be eaten alive for days. I rescued her and named her Baby. She was the sweetest creature and loved being in my hand more than anything. Such a clingy, cuddly baby. I made a fast smacking of my lips sound to get her to be more excited to eat and she made the same sound back and always drank a little more milk. She had a short "ehh" sound for "no" usually when I offered more milk than she wanted or put her in her bed when she wanted to be in my hand. And softer, higher pitched squeak for "yes!", usually when I offered her my hand to sleep in. So cute and sweet. So simple but the best experience life has offered me thus far. Sadly she got sick and didn't make it. Died unexpectedly in her sleep when she was about 6 weeks old. but 6 weeks of captivity surely is better than slowly being eaten alive by massive ants for 2 days.
@alphabet lore letter F VR same reason why this video is a whole documentary instead of a 30 second battle. nature is interesting
@alphabet lore letter F VR your attention span must be low
@Giga chad life must be hard calling yourself a chad but playing roblox at the same time 💀
0:56 I admire the ant for just minding his own business, and going on with his day.
I’m so fascinated yet detest the tarantula hawk. I know it’s the cycle of life but I just find it so cruel and sad that this is the way the tarantula dies. Very interesting video, I always do wonder why the tarantula being so powerful does not fight back and the theory that the wasp uses a chemical to subdue the tarantula along with it circling it is a very interesting concept that makes sense !
Nothing cruel or sad about nature. Human beings can be just as cruel in survival situations. You take away all the comfy cushy privileges we enjoy everyday like going to the grocery store for food or having a nice safe shelter to live in and human beings can be way more cruel than these bugs. Nature is very real and very fair. Only the strong survive.
The sting is extremely painful to humans. Imagine how painful it might be to the tarantula. 😬😨
@@VIBERELIGIONTV I don't think they have the same kind of pain receptors we have bud.
Niinpä. Tarantula näyttää olevan hypnoosissa.
@Ev0_X_ 14 I worked in a slaughterhouse. If you want to see what we are capable of then take a vist to one. We even slaughtered in calf (pregnant) dairy cows.
I like how the ant minds its business as if this was a daily occurrence in the area
It probably is a daily occurrence and it learns to get used to it.
This reminds me of what it's like to get married. Poor tarantula, I feel your pain.
Aye, especially the "dancing around to please the other". 😆
WIFE BAD
This was well done! These wasps are fascinating and truly terrifying to say the least. It almost can turn an arachnophobe into someone who tries to rescue tarantulas from these beasts! It makes me feel sorry for the tarantulas though I'm aware that the wasp lives only a few months whereas the tarantulas can live for years without ever encountering them. I often wonder what would've happened if someone interveneed and rescued the tarantula and attempted to nurse it back to health or if the TH wasp went up against a Calceatum, or Murinus (They are very fast, incredibly aggressive, and highly venomous spiders), or even a Goliath Birdeating Spider (They can reach the size of a dinner plate).
Doesnt the tarantula hawk give a dance or release pheromones to fool the tarantula or am i just tripping? edit: he said it maybe its a correlation or a direct cause effect
They used to take down Bird spiders but sometimes we're injured because of there large size but now only take down smaller tarantulas...I love watching it!
Yup. The Tarantula Hawks scare me way way more than any spider ever would. I am glad I live on the East Coast. However, to this day, I swear that I saw one when I was a kid.
It is as you say, you can be afraid of the spider, then, feel sorry and want to help
@@imthebestmayne122 Tarantula Hawks are scary creatures yet if you don't bother them they are as peaceful as a lap dog. Beware of those smaller wasps that form colonies, those are really dangerous and short tempered and because of their sheer numbers can kill you anytime.
This is what I love to have the internet for , and thanks to people like you for good work and information ! And also often for good replies of the other users !
wasps are incredible they seem to have a penchant for evolving through parasitic and symbiotic relationships
One of the best nature videos by private people.. I was so impressed. Both the recording but also it was so informativ! I very rarely see such a good quality video with GREAT information.. Really enjoyed it!
I think the tarantulas downfall is that it waits to know what it is dealing with before it deals with it. It knows something is there, but it is not acting like prey, it is also not really bothering it. The tarantulas only option is to sit tight - which is its downfall.
This one makes the most sense
i find it crazy how every spider knows, this is not an ordinary wasp!
Thanks for posting this clear and concise video. I hadn’t ever seen this process play out. Then to see the Hawk expand the entrance. That was amazing. Nature’s dope as hell.
The thing I always find strange is how docile tarantulas are to these tarantula hawk. Any other insect the Tarantula would leap on it. But with these hawk wasps, the tarantula almost offers itself to it. It would have a chance of survival or at least killing the wasp too if it grabbed hold of it and shoved it’s fangs into it. But they dont. It’s like they’re sedated.
The hawk can immobilise it with 1 sting and the turantula cannot kill it fast enough to get it before it stings, it has no sharp armour piercing teeth and it’s method of killing is slow
Perhaps it should bite the wasps head, if the poison paralysis takes effect the wasp might be too injured to take advantage
Wow. I've heard of the tarantula hawk doing this but have never seen it happen. This was absolutely amazing to watch. Thank you for this.
KJW, you did an awesome job on this video. Quick, informative and thorough. 👍🏾
Keith , i gotta say mate bloody brilliant. Great narration, informative and knowledgeable.
A fascinating bit of biology, I was not aware of these interactions.
are you his brother?? as never heard the surname before
Thank you for taking the time and effort to make this informative video.
Yeah I got stung by a cow killer (velvet ant) once when I was like 7 or 8 (like 30 years ago) when I was waiting for the bus here in Florida . Found one and when I touched it, it squeaked! So I kept doing it and it kept squeaking. Until it quickly flipped to its back and got me good. Right when the bus came. It took everything I had not to cry. Goodness did it hurt! But my brother noticed I turned red from holding it all in. Velvet ants have one of the longest stingers too. Crazy!
ikr. these fuckers hurt so bad. I was under some bleachers at a school with a friend, and suddenly a wasp/yellow jacket/hornet/ whatever tf it was stung me like in my earlobe. So painful. 3rd or 4th grade me was trying so hard not to cry. A cow killer sounds even more painful than whatever stung me.
@@arjun-ys5xp Jesus one time when I got stung by a yellow jacket (this was like 20 years ago) I didn’t know what stung me and those mother fuckers hurt!😂😂😂
Bruh, a few years ago I saw 3 velvet ants when I was walking along with my family and right then and there I knew not to touch it. What the hell were you thinking?😑But thanks for letting me know that they squeak. That’s always so charming to hear.😂🤣
Fascinating parallel. The tarantula hawk's hunting technique reminds me of nothing so much as a weasel hunting a rabbit.
Velvet ant cameo at the end was the icing on the cake. Amazing video
Keith this is truly impressive content. Informative, approachable, and enjoyable to watch!!
it's incredible, beautiful, and terrifying all at the same time. But thank you so much for sharing the video, it is extremely interesting.
Same sort of thing happened to me in Chester, PA. Except I savagely beaten and robbed by some fella who first entranced me with his break dancing skills.
Absolutely amazing video man. Thank for you this great work
That was amazing! Thank you for posting this video!
This was much more informative, humane, and interesting than those forced insect fighting videos
Literally just sticking two bugs in a small box
@@kakakrabbypatty1234 And making them kill each other for the entertainment of kids on KZhead to make a quick buck. It’s called humanity…
Informative:yes, interesting: yes, humane: no. This video taught me just how unhumane the animal world is.
@@braxduncan8995 huh? how is this inhumane? this was totally natural… do you know what humane means?
@@peterkilian9100 the hawk paralyzed the spider and made sure not to kill it so it could plant babies in it so they could eat around the main organs as to keep the spider alive for as long as possible. The animal kingdom does not prioritize a quick kill
My theory is genetic memories lead to the tarantula knowing it cannot stab at the wasp with it's fangs. I believe the wasp is likely, with it's armor, waiting for the tarantula to do so in order to get a good chance at stabbing at it's weak spot. The wasp seemed to be baiting the tarantula into doing so. I bet the tarantula's only defense is basically just hoping it can find the means to dash away safely when the time is right, such as the wasp making an attempt at a sting. Likely the spider's know they are doomed.
WOW! So interesting. Thanks for making the effort to record it, and for the educational commentary.
I was out running on the trails one time and saw this entire evolution go down with this wasp and a tarantula. One of the most random bug encounters I’ve ever seen, but I learned what a tarantula hawk was after that.
Well done Keith and Jan!
My son and I really enjoyed this video! Lots of opportunity for discussing all kinds of biology basics.
1:06 Little ant at that clump of grass is just like "Come on Steve, it's just another day in the insect kingdom. Just... gotta... get this... grub... back to the colony." before just getting stepped on in this battle of the titans. lol
Just so you know, a velvet ant is a wasp, not an ant. They are solitary parisite wasps. They don't belong to colonies.
Totally NOT what I expected from a tarantula hawk attack. Thanks for this remarkable work!!!
what did u expect, wining and dining followed by passionate love making in the penthouse sweet of the Waldorf Astoria?
@@dashingeduardosuarezAre you telling me that isn’t exactly what happened in the video?
@@conscripthornet4430 Getting knocked-up Helen Ripley style....was not part of the deal.
@@dashingeduardosuarezthat’s… oddly specific
i love the ant just trying to get by 😂
Totally enjoyed your content!! Thanks for sharing
Fantastic photography, and very enlightening commentary.
Fascinating. I’d never heard of a tarantula Hawke before now.
2:14 Lil brave ant walking casually to its nest
normally I would not watch a spider video but you did a fine job of this . Well done.
Incredible footage you captured there!
So in summary, the winner in all this is the Velvet Ant. I feel so sorry for the tarantula. Nature always thrills. Thanks for this insightful video.
Cool video, I’ve actually seen this happen off my back porch, sitting in a lawn chair. (Minus the velvet ant part) If I hadn’t watched a video, I’d have no idea what I was seeing. 👍🏾
Amazing video my Wiggers. Thoroughly informative and interesting, being a Tarantula fan I must say I hope that velvet ant returns.
Love the content. Looking forward to more.
That was just fascinating. Thank you for sharing this with us. Isn't nature interesting?!
It's wild
@@thomaseriksen6885 lmao
* brutal and disgusting
The spider is literally watching himself getting prepared to be fed on, poor guy before he was dragged into the hole he made one last attempt to escape
Fantastic record and explanation! Thanks!
Fantastic video and soooo interesting with all the insight you provided
I never thought I'd feel bad for a tarantula until today.
beautiful colours on that wasp.
The ant being the low key star of the show lol Also, really love how you spent so much time in silence, interrupted by actually related and informative information.
Thank you Keith! I very much enjoyed your highly informative video. Keep exploring and documenting the wonderful and fresh outdoors :O)
Thanks Keith that was an awesome video and commentary
This is so sad. RIP the Tarantula
The ant be like:🍿🐜
Wow! Excellent video my friend. So few docs on the tarantula hawk. Goodonya!
I don't know what I was expecting, but in the end I felt like I was watching an Attenborough documentary. That really made my day.
Interesting about the pheromone hypothesis for the tarantula just letting itself get manhandled like that, so strange to see it almost cooperate in the whole process; it almost seemed to be raising it's body up to help out the tarantula hawk lol.
Hi great video thanks for your time. I live in Spain we have tarantulas and a wasp called a spider wasp same life cycle. I have only observed two instances of this happen in my garden. One had draged the spider some distance and ran in the small ramp leading to the house. About 10 inches high . That was tried for twenty minutes to drag the spider up! It eventually tried going sideways a little where it was only a few inches and managed to do so. I watched it until the wasp draged out the other side of the garden and into thick vegetation and I could no longer follow. The spider wasps I saw were two different species. They have a bad sting but don't sting humans unless provoked. We have a ground suckulent ground plant that spiders love and there are always several burrows per meter so plenty of spiders. I too feel sorry for the spiders but won't interrupt nature.
You have tarantulas in Spain? I've never heard of them being linked to that part of the world, I know you guys have the tarantula wolf spider. - Which is where the name tarantula came from.
Many thanks for PERFECT PRESENTATION!
Great video - morbidly fascinating and very informative.
Great video, I really enjoyed it and it was informative. I would love to see the spider win, its a horrible way to go.
Nature as beautiful as it can be is also horrific, the fact that the tarantula is paralysed but alive when it's being eaten alive from the inside is like something from the Alien movie, really horrible, I have to feel for the poor tarantula
@@arthurleggywulfto be fair, it is thought that arachnids don't "feel" (interpret) pain the same way us humans do. However, they do have a complex nervous system, so we don't really know how painful this situation is for them.
Nicely done video, very good clear shots and informative
Great video. Simple yet informative
Little harvester ant just passing buy carrying a piece of wood twice it's size thinking that's not so bad considering what that tarantula is going through at the moment.
I live in So Cal and have seen a black widow kill a tarantula hawk. Black widow webs are very sticky and as the hawk struggled, it just got stuck worse.
Great video! Thank you! 💜
amazing video. thanks for this work.
Great job with the Video and explanation of things!
Never thought I’d feel sorry for a spider that big
My thoughts exactly
I watched something very similar today in Sydney, Australia. It was a red wasp and it was tackling a huntsman spider but other than that it was identical. Nature is brutal.
Thank you so much for a really interesting video
Girl just trying to get home from work and these two giant beasts are killing eachother The velvet ant taking note of the wasp egg "I'll be back.."
Insane how futile running away ended up being
I’ve always been scared of tarantulas and yet i found myself rooting for it
Epic thank you for posting!
Cool video. Thanks for sharing. Much more interesting than discovery channel is able to make it. Cheers bro
I would have expected more fight from the spider too! Thank God that things not aggressive to us! Spider went down quick! Meanwhile that little ant 🐜 kept minding its business 🤠😂 And our Red Velvet Ants are more colorful I think!?!?!
Wow! I was just taking a break from studying my Cognitive Neuroscience and came across this while researching the entomology world. Very good camera work. I would love to know what kind of camera you were thinking of using to put into the hole to video any action. Wow! Another insect laying their egg on another larva is super fascinating. Gosh! The unknown world of insects has so much yet to be discovered. *Excellent information! Keep them coming. Hope to hear from you. I don't know how to get in touch with you other than search for you on Facebook??
Doesnt the tarantula hawk give a dance or release pheromones to fool the tarantula or am i just tripping? edit: he said it maybe its a correlation or a direct cause effect
classic crazy larry
@@kamalmanzukie ong
Lmfao "my cognitive neuroscience" what an unnecessary flex
Your cognitive neuoblablabla was just a pointless information...
EXCELLENT narration!!!
Outstanding documentary.
Great stuff i read some species of tarantula hawks vibrate there wings so fast the spider actually thinks it's a bird there defence stay dead still.
🚴🏀
Wow, I didn't know that Tarantula Hawk wasps were themselves parasitized by another wasp... and a so-called 'velvet ant' at that!
tarantula hawk just became my most hated insect now, poor spider
As legendarily painful as the stings (purportedly) are, tarantula hawks are incredibly docile. If you aren't really trying to piss them off, it's hard to do. They're kind of cool looking, too. Here in New Mexico they're our state insect, I've bumped into a few.
Gotta love how interesting life really is. Kinda wish we weren't ruining so many environments
Excellent! Thank you
Watching Coyote Petersons reaction to the sting, I can only imagine how painful that is for the spider
0:23 Him: “they rarely bite a person and if they do, it is no worse than a mild bee sting.” People allergic to bee stings: “Yeah I should be fine.”